Pak Role In Pahalgam Attack Exposed: Terrorist ‘Afghan’ Had Lashkar, JKLF Links, Trained In PoK

On April 22, the three terrorists of Lashkar-e-Taiba who carried out the attack in the Baisaran Valley of Pahalgam were killed in a joint operation named “Operation Mahadev” by the Indian Army, CRPF, and Jammu & Kashmir Police. All three terrorists have been identified by security agencies as Suleman, alias Faizal Jutt, Afghan, and Jibran, which was also revealed today by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the Lok Sabha. ABP News has received super-exclusive intelligence and photographs on one of these terrorists whose codename was Afghan, clearly exposing Pakistan’s direct hand in the Pahalgam terror attack.

Terrorist ‘Afghan’ Traced to Rawalakot, Trained by LeT

The terrorist codenamed Afghan, who was killed in Operation Mahadev, has been identified as Habib Tahir, alias Habib Afghani, alias Habib Khan, alias Chotu, a resident of Aziz village in the Khairgala area of Rawalakot district in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). According to sources, Habib joined the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba in 2021, and his handlers were identified as Abu Musa and Rizwan Hanif, both LeT commanders operating from PoK.

Sources confirm that Habib received his initial terror training at Markaz Shohada-e-Kashmir, a Lashkar-e-Taiba training camp based in Rawalakot. Apart from Lashkar, Habib was also associated with the student wing of Yasin Malik’s Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) called Students Liberation Front (SLF). In 2019, he joined Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT), becoming its Rawalakot head by 2021. However, he quit IJT in the same year to join Lashkar-e-Taiba full-time.

Habib Tahir hailed from Aziz village in the Khairgala area of Rawalakot district, which is predominantly inhabited by Sadozai Pashtuns, an ethnic group that migrated from Afghanistan to Pakistan in the 18th century. Due to his Afghan-Pashtun appearance, Lashkar gave him the codename “Afghan”.

Forensics Confirm Habib Used Recovered Weapons

Several photographs of Habib have been obtained by Indian intelligence agencies, in which he can be seen holding an AK-47 and an American M4 carbine rifle. After the encounter, these very weapons were recovered from the slain terrorists, and forensic tests conducted at a Chandigarh-based lab confirmed that these same weapons were used in the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

In addition to the weapons, a Chinese-made T82 satellite phone was recovered from the terrorists. This satellite phone was found to have been active in the Baisaran Valley on April 22 during the terror attack and was again activated on July 23 in Lidwas, Jammu & Kashmir. Based on this intelligence, the Indian Army, CRPF, and J&K Police launched a cordon operation, ultimately neutralising the Pahalgam attackers on Monday under Operation Mahadev.

Lashkar and IJT Acknowledge Habib’s Identity

Yesterday Pakistan’s state-sponsored terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba officially acknowledged the three slain terrorists through its proxy social media accounts, confirming they were affiliated with the outfit. The group also identified Habib Tahir, alias Habib Afghani, alias Habib Khan, alias Chotu as one of the dead. Leaders of Islami Jamiat Talaba also confirmed his identity on social media, acknowledging that the terrorist killed in the encounter with security forces in Pahalgam was indeed from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and had prior links with both IJT and Yasin Malik’s JKLF before joining Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Office bearers of Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT) confirmed that Habib Tahir, alias Afghan, parted ways with the organisation due to differences over IJT’s Kashmir policy, as he was in favour of armed struggle rather than political or ideological methods.

Rawalakot: Hub of Terror Activities and Anti-India Rhetoric

The Rawalakot region of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, where Habib hailed from, has emerged as a significant hub for Pakistan-sponsored terror outfits like Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). On 5th February this year, a joint rally was held in Rawalakot by Hamas, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Jaish-e-Mohammad, during which Talha Al Saif, brother of JeM chief Masood Azhar, issued a provocative statement. He urged the terrorists in Jammu & Kashmir to carry out attacks against India inspired by Hamas’ “Operation Al Aqsa Flood” in Israel (October 2023).

At that same rally, Abu Moosa, the Lashkar-e-Taiba PoK commander and close aide of Saifullah Kasuri, echoed Talha Al Saif’s call. He declared that terrorists in Jammu & Kashmir will draw direct inspiration from Hamas tactics to launch similar attacks inside India. According to intelligence sources, Abu Moosa, believed to be the operational planner of the Pahalgam attack, was behind the attack, and just 4 days before the Pahalgam attack, Abu Moosa again gave a declaration to kill Hindus who are trying to settle in Kashmir. Now, with the identity of Habib Tahir, alias Afghan, killed in the recent joint forces operation confirmed, and his direct links to Abu Moosa established, intelligence assessments appear accurate. Habib’s role and Abu Moosa’s handler position in his deployment affirm that the Pahalgam attack was orchestrated under direct LeT command from PoK, with ideological and tactical inspiration drawn openly from the Hamas playbook.